The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
North Carolina State
No. 20 Men's Tennis rallies past No. 16 N.C. State, 4-1
03.02.2018 | Men's Tennis
Horns storm back from 1-0 deficit with four singles wins.
RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 20 Texas (8-2) dropped the doubles point but rallied with a vengeance on its way to a 4-1 victory Friday evening over host No. 16 N.C. State (9-1).
"This was a tough match," said UT head coach Michael Center. "N.C. State played really well. Early in the doubles it looked like we were positioned to get control of the match, but we lost multiple games and the doubles point. Then we saw a really hard-fought contest the rest of the way.
"We could only play four singles matches indoors," Center continued, "so our Nos. 5 and 6 players needed to wait and be ready for their turn. I loved the way we competed today. We competed really well in singles, and that was the difference."
N.C. State won doubles matches at the first and third positions to win the doubles point and assume a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Christian Sigsgaard put the Horns on the board at second singles with his 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Tadas Babelis.
UT's 43rd-ranked junior Leonardo Telles gave the Horns the lead for good with his 6-4, 7-6 win over Ivan Saveljic at fourth singles. At first singles, reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Yuya Ito dropped the first set to the Wolfpack's 16th-ranked Alexis Galarneau, 6-2 before rallying to take the second set, 7-5. Ito outlasted Galarneau, 6-4 in the third set to give the Horns a 3-1 lead.
"We were down 1-0 in the match and Yuya was down a set and a break, but he really turned that match around, surged to get that second set and finished it at the end," Center said. "That result is indicative of the work and the attitude that he's had. He doesn't give in, even in practice."
UT junior Harrison Scott provided the clinching point at fourth singles. The Canadian fought off Igor Saveljic in a first-set tiebreaker, 7-5 but Saveljic rallied back and forced a third set. Scott kept his poise and held on for a 7-5 third-set win to close out the match victory for the Longhorns. The match at fifth singles was suspended early in the first set, and the match at sixth singles was canceled.
Texas wraps its weekend road swing Sunday at No. 6 North Carolina.
No. 20 Texas 4, No. 16 N.C. State 1
Doubles – Order of Finish: 1, 3
1 Igor Saveljic/Ivan Saveljic (NCSU) def. No. 3 Rodrigo Banzer/Leonardo Telles (UT), 6-4
2 Adrian Ortiz/Christian Sigsgaard (UT) vs. Tadas Babelis/Alexis Galarneau (NCSU), 5-5, susp.
3 Michael Ogden/Georgiy Malyshev (NCSU) def. Colin Markes/Yuya Ito (UT), 6-4
Singles – Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 3
1 No. 118 Yuya Ito (UT) def. No. 16 Alexis Galarneau (NCSU), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
2 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. Tadas Babelis (NCSU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3 No. 62 Harrison Scott (UT) def. Igor Saveljic (NCSU), 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-5
4 No. 43 Leonardo Telles (UT) def. Ivan Saveljic (NCSU), 6-4, 7-6 (3)
5 Adrian Ortiz (UT) vs. Georgiy Malyshev (NCSU), 0-1, suspended
6 No. 111 Rodrigo Banzer (UT) vs. Robert Turzak (NCSU), unplayed
Players Mentioned
